Monica S Thakar, MD

Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Non-Malignant Transplant Program, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program

On staff since December 2018

Children's Title: Medical Director, Inpatient Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Cancer and Blood Disorders Center

Academic Title: Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine

Research Title: Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Research Center: Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research

Language (Other than English): French

"I strive to be one of the strongest advocates and sources of support for my patients throughout their treatment journey."

• Biography

  Dr. Monica Thakar is a pediatric bone marrow transplant physician with expertise in treating children and young adults with leukemia, lymphoma, and a wide variety of non-malignant diseases with particular focus on primary immune deficiencies.

  Dr. Thakar's is an attending physician and medical director of Bone Marrow Transplant Inpatient Services at Seattle Children's; a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine; and a professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Her clinical and translational research explores whether certain immune cells called natural killer (also known as NK cells) can prevent relapse and treat high-risk cancers.  

  • Related Pages

  • Monica Thakar, MD, Fred Hutch Cancer Center

    Read her provider biography

  • Dr. Thakar's Bibliography (NIH)

    See list of publications

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• Awards and Honors

  Award Name	Award Description	Awarded By	Award Date
  Fundamentals of Physician Leadership	Training Course, Scottsdale, AZ	American Association for Physician Leadership	2019
  Pediatric Faculty Teacher of the Year Award	Chosen by Pediatric House Staff	Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin	2013

• Publications

  Other Publications

  • Thakar MS, Logan BR, Puck JM, Dunn EA, Buckley RH, Cowan MJ, O’Reilly R, Kapoor N, Satter LF, Pai S-Y, Heimall J, Chandra S, Ebens CL, Chellapandian D, Williams O, Burroughs LM, Saldana BD, Rayes A, Madden LM, Chandrakasan S, Bednarski JJ, DeSantes KB, Cuvelier GDE, Teira P, Gillio AP, Eissa H, Knutsen AP, Goldman FD, Aquino VM, Shereck EB, Moore TB, Caywood EH, Vander Lugt MT, Rozmus J, Broglie L, Yu LC, Shah AJ, Andolina HR, Liu X, Parrott RE, Dara J, Prockop S, Martinez CA, Kapadia M, Jyonouchi SC, Sullivan KE, Bleesing JJ, Chaudhury S, Petrovic A, Keller MD, Quigg TC, Parikh S, Shenoy S, Seroogy C, Rubin T, Decaluwe H, Routes JM, Torgerson TR, Leiding JW, Pulsipher MC, Kohn DB, Griffith LM, Haddad E, Dvorak CC, Notarangelo LD.
    Measuring the impact of newborn screening on survival after hematopoietic cell transplantation for severe combined immunodeficiency: a 36-year longitudinal study from the Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium
    Lancet, 2023 : 402(10396)129-140
  • Friend B^, Broglie L^, Logan BR, Chhabra S, Fretham C, Schiller G, Beitinjaneh A, Perez MAD, Guilcher GMT, Hashem H, Hildebrandt GC, Krem MM, Lazarus HM, Nishihori T, Nusrat R, Rotz SJ, Wirk B, Wieduwilt M, Pasquini M, Savani BN, Stadtmauer E, Sorror ML*, Thakar MS*
    Adapting the HCT-CI definitions for children, adolescents, and young adults with hematologic malignancies undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation
    Transplant Cell Ther, 2022 : 29(2)123
  • Broglie L, Vitola B, Thakar MS, Basel D, Szabo S, Agni R, Talano JA
    Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis mimicking neonatal hemochromatosis.
    31424295 Pediatric hematology and oncology, 2019 Aug 19 : 1-6
  • Marsh RA, Leiding JW, Logan BR, Griffith LM, Arnold DE, Haddad E, Falcone EL, Yin Z, Patel K, Arbuckle E, Bleesing JJ, Sullivan KE, Heimall J, Burroughs LM, Skoda-Smith S, Chandrakasan S, Yu LC, Oshrine BR, Cuvelier GDE, Thakar MS, Chen K, Teira P, Shenoy S, Phelan R, Forbes LR, Chellapandian D, Dávila Saldaña BJ, Shah AJ, Weinacht KG, Joshi A, Boulad F, Quigg TC, Dvorak CC, Grossman D, Torgerson T, Graham P, Prasad V, Knutsen A, Chong H, Miller H, de la Morena MT, DeSantes K, Cowan MJ, Notarangelo LD, Kohn DB, Stenger E, Pai SY, Routes JM, Puck JM, Kapoor N, Pulsipher MA, Malech HL, Parikh S, Kang EM, submitted on behalf of the Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium.
    Chronic Granulomatous Disease-Associated IBD Resolves and Does Not Adversely Impact Survival Following Allogeneic HCT.
    31376032 Journal of clinical immunology, 2019 Aug 2
  • Liberio N, Robinson H, Nugent M, Simpson P, Margolis DA, Malarkannan S, Keever-Taylor C, Thakar MS
    Single-center experience suggests donor lymphocyte infusion may promote long-term survival in children with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
    31368194 Pediatric blood & cancer, 2019 Jul 31 : e27950
  • Kumar P, Rajasekaran K, Nanbakhsh A, Gorski J, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    IL-27 promotes NK cell effector functions via Maf-Nrf2 pathway during influenza infection.
    30899058 Scientific reports, 2019 Mar 21 : 9(1)4984 PMCID:PMC6428861
  • Thakar MS, Broglie L, Logan B, Artz A, Bunin N, Burroughs LM, Fretham C, Jacobsohn DA, Loren AW, Kurtzberg J, Martinez CA, Mineishi S, Nelson AS, Woolfrey A, Pasquini MC, Sorror ML
    The Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Comorbidity Index predicts survival after allogeneic transplant for nonmalignant diseases.
    30545834 Blood, 2019 Feb 14 : 133(7)754-762 PMCID:PMC6376282
  • Dvorak CC, Haddad E, Buckley RH, Cowan MJ, Logan B, Griffith LM, Kohn DB, Pai SY, Notarangelo L, Shearer W, Prockop S, Kapoor N, Heimall J, Chaudhury S, Shyr D, Chandra S, Cuvelier G, Moore T, Shenoy S, Goldman F, Smith AR, Sunkersett G, Vander Lugt M, Caywood E, Quigg T, Torgerson T, Chandrakasan S, Craddock J, Dávila Saldaña BJ, Gillio A, Shereck E, Aquino V, DeSantes K, Knutsen A, Thakar M, Yu L, Puck JM
    The genetic landscape of severe combined immunodeficiency in the United States and Canada in the current era (2010-2018).
    30193840 The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 2019 Jan. : 143(1)405-407 PMCID:PMC6322970
  • Haddad E, Logan BR, Griffith LM, Buckley RH, Parrott RE, Prockop SE, Small TN, Chaisson J, Dvorak CC, Murnane M, Kapoor N, Abdel-Azim H, Hanson IC, Martinez C, Bleesing JJH, Chandra S, Smith AR, Cavanaugh ME, Jyonouchi S, Sullivan KE, Burroughs L, Skoda-Smith S, Haight AE, Tumlin AG, Quigg TC, Taylor C, Dávila Saldaña BJ, Keller MD, Seroogy CM, Desantes KB, Petrovic A, Leiding JW, Shyr DC, Decaluwe H, Teira P, Gillio AP, Knutsen AP, Moore TB, Kletzel M, Craddock JA, Aquino V, Davis JH, Yu LC, Cuvelier GDE, Bednarski JJ, Goldman FD, Kang EM, Shereck E, Porteus MH, Connelly JA, Fleisher TA, Malech HL, Shearer WT, Szabolcs P, Thakar MS, Vander Lugt MT, Heimall J, Yin Z, Pulsipher MA, Pai SY, Kohn DB, Puck JM, Cowan MJ, O'Reilly RJ, Notarangelo LD
    SCID genotype and 6-month posttransplant CD4 count predict survival and immune recovery.
    30154114 Blood, 2018 Oct 25 : 132(17)1737-1749 PMCID:PMC6202916
  • Palen K, Thakar M, Johnson BD, Gershan JA
    Bone Marrow-derived CD8+ T Cells From Pediatric Leukemia Patients Express PD1 and Expand Ex Vivo Following Induction Chemotherapy.
    29912035 Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology, 2018 Jun 14
  • Yang C, Tsaih SW, Lemke A, Flister MJ, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    mTORC1 and mTORC2 differentially promote natural killer cell development.
    29809146 eLife, 2018 May 29 : 7 PMCID:PMC5976438
  • Bar M, Flowers MED, Storer BE, Chauncey TR, Pulsipher MA, Thakar MS, Bethge W, Storb R, Maloney DG, Sandmaier BM
    Reversal of Low Donor Chimerism after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Using Pentostatin and Donor Lymphocyte Infusion: A Prospective Phase II Multicenter Trial.
    29032276 Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2018 Feb. : 24(2)308-313 PMCID:PMC5767527
  • Nanbakhsh A, Best B, Riese M, Rao S, Wang L, Medin J, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    Dextran Enhances the Lentiviral Transduction Efficiency of Murine and Human Primary NK Cells.
    29364266 Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, 2018 Jan 15 : (131) PMCID:PMC5908645
  • Abel AM, Tiwari AA, Gerbec ZJ, Siebert JR, Yang C, Schloemer NJ, Dixon KJ, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    IQ Domain-Containing GTPase-Activating Protein 1 Regulates Cytoskeletal Reorganization and Facilitates NKG2D-Mediated Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 Activation and Cytokine Gene Translation in Natural Killer Cells.
    29892299 Frontiers in immunology, 2018 : 91168 PMCID:PMC5985319
  • Abel AM, Yang C, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    Natural Killer Cells: Development, Maturation, and Clinical Utilization.
    30150991 Frontiers in immunology, 2018 : 91869 PMCID:PMC6099181
  • Heimall J, Logan BR, Cowan MJ, Notarangelo LD, Griffith LM, Puck JM, Kohn DB, Pulsipher MA, Parikh S, Martinez C, Kapoor N, O'Reilly R, Boyer M, Pai SY, Goldman F, Burroughs L, Chandra S, Kletzel M, Thakar M, Connelly J, Cuvelier G, Davila Saldana BJ, Shereck E, Knutsen A, Sullivan KE, DeSantes K, Gillio A, Haddad E, Petrovic A, Quigg T, Smith AR, Stenger E, Yin Z, Shearer WT, Fleisher T, Buckley RH, Dvorak CC
    Immune reconstitution and survival of 100 SCID patients post-hematopoietic cell transplant: a PIDTC natural history study.
    29021228 Blood, 2017 Dec 21 : 130(25)2718-2727 PMCID:PMC5746165
  • Broglie L, Pommert L, Rao S, Thakar M, Phelan R, Margolis D, Talano J
    Ruxolitinib for treatment of refractory hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
    29296794 Blood advances, 2017 Aug 22 : 1(19)1533-1536 PMCID:PMC5728466
  • Bonfim C, Ribeiro L, Nichele S, Loth G, Bitencourt M, Koliski A, Kuwahara C, Fabro AL, Pereira NF, Pilonetto D, Thakar M, Kiem HP, Page K, Fuchs EJ, Eapen M, Pasquini R
    Haploidentical Bone Marrow Transplantation with Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide for Children and Adolescents with Fanconi Anemia.
    27832981 Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2017 Feb. : 23(2)310-317
  • Thakar MS, Hintermeyer MK, Gries MG, Routes JM, Verbsky JW
    A Practical Approach to Newborn Screening for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Using the T Cell Receptor Excision Circle Assay.
    29167668 Frontiers in immunology, 2017 : 81470 PMCID:PMC5682299
  • Rajasekaran K, Riese MJ, Rao S, Wang L, Thakar MS, Sentman CL, Malarkannan S
    Signaling in Effector Lymphocytes: Insights toward Safer Immunotherapy.
    27242783 Frontiers in immunology, 2016 : 7176 PMCID:PMC4863891
  • Abel AM, Schuldt KM, Rajasekaran K, Hwang D, Riese MJ, Rao S, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    IQGAP1: insights into the function of a molecular puppeteer.
    25733387 Molecular immunology, 2015 June : 65(2)336-49 PMCID:PMC4480615
  • Gerbec ZJ, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    The Fyn-ADAP Axis: Cytotoxicity Versus Cytokine Production in Killer Cells.
    26441977 Frontiers in immunology, 2015 : 6472 PMCID:PMC4584950
  • Burroughs LM, Nemecek ER, Torgerson TR, Storer BE, Talano JA, Domm J, Giller RH, Shimamura A, Delaney C, Skoda-Smith S, Thakar MS, Baker KS, Rawlings DJ, Englund JA, Flowers ME, Deeg HJ, Storb R, Woolfrey AE
    Treosulfan-based conditioning and hematopoietic cell transplantation for nonmalignant diseases: a prospective multicenter trial.
    25196857 Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2014 Dec. : 20(12)1996-2003 PMCID:PMC4324724
  • Rajasekaran K, Kumar P, Schuldt KM, Peterson EJ, Vanhaesebroeck B, Dixit V, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    Signaling by Fyn-ADAP via the Carma1-Bcl-10-MAP3K7 signalosome exclusively regulates inflammatory cytokine production in NK cells.
    24036998 Nature immunology, 2013 Nov. : 14(11)1127-36 PMCID:PMC3855032
  • Ayas M, Saber W, Davies SM, Harris RE, Hale GA, Socie G, LeRademacher J, Thakar M, Deeg HJ, Al-Seraihy A, Battiwalla M, Camitta BM, Olsson R, Bajwa RS, Bonfim CM, Pasquini R, Macmillan ML, George B, Copelan EA, Wirk B, Al Jefri A, Fasth AL, Guinan EC, Horn BN, Lewis VA, Slavin S, Stepensky P, Bierings M, Gale RP
    Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for fanconi anemia in patients with pretransplantation cytogenetic abnormalities, myelodysplastic syndrome, or acute leukemia.
    23547077 Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2013 May 1 : 31(13)1669-76 PMCID:PMC3635221
  • Palmer JM, Rajasekaran K, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    Clinical relevance of natural killer cells following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
    23386902 Journal of Cancer, 2013 : 4(1)25-35 PMCID:PMC3564244
  • Kumar P, Rajasekaran K, Palmer JM, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    IL-22: An Evolutionary Missing-Link Authenticating the Role of the Immune System in Tissue Regeneration.
    23386905 Journal of Cancer, 2013 : 4(1)57-65 PMCID:PMC3564247
  • Malarkannan S, Awasthi A, Rajasekaran K, Kumar P, Schuldt KM, Bartoszek A, Manoharan N, Goldner NK, Umhoefer CM, Thakar MS
    IQGAP1: a regulator of intracellular spacetime relativity.
    22345702 Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 2012 Mar 1 : 188(5)2057-63 PMCID:PMC3286039
  • Verbsky J, Thakar M, Routes J
    The Wisconsin approach to newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency.
    22244594 The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 2012 March : 129(3)622-7
  • Kumar P, Bartoszek AE, Moran TM, Gorski J, Bhattacharyya S, Navidad JF, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S
    High-throughput detection method for influenza virus.
    22331038 Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, 2012 Feb 4 : (60) PMCID:PMC3369630
  • Chen Y, Fukuda T, Thakar MS, Kornblit BT, Storer BE, Santos EB, Storb R, Sandmaier BM
    Immunomodulatory effects induced by cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 immunoglobulin with donor peripheral blood mononuclear cell infusion in canine major histocompatibility complex-haplo-identical non-myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation.
    21846291 Cytotherapy, 2011 Nov. : 13(10)1269-80 PMCID:PMC3195840
  • Rajasekaran K, Chu H, Kumar P, Xiao Y, Tinguely M, Samarakoon A, Kim TW, Li X, Thakar MS, Zhang J, Malarkannan S
    Transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 regulates natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity and cytokine production.
    21771792 The Journal of biological chemistry, 2011 Sep 9 : 286(36)31213-24 PMCID:PMC3173069
  • Thakar MS, Santos EB, Gooley TA, Sale G, Storb R, Kiem HP, Sandmaier BM
    Evaluation of posttransplant methotrexate to facilitate engraftment in the canine major histocompatibility complex-haploidentical nonmyeloablative transplant model.
    20626083 Transplantation, 2010 Jul 15 : 90(1)14-22 PMCID:PMC2921965
  • Thakar MS, Santos EB, Fricker S, Bridger G, Storb R, Sandmaier BM
    Plerixafor-moblized stem cells alone are capable of inducing early engraftment across the MHC-haploidentical canine barrier.
    20110438 Blood, 2010 Jan 28 : 115(4)916-7 PMCID:PMC2815512
  • Wilbur DS, Thakar MS, Hamlin DK, Santos EB, Chyan MK, Nakamae H, Pagel JM, Press OW, Sandmaier BM
    Reagents for astatination of biomolecules. 4. Comparison of maleimido-closo-decaborate(2-) and meta-[(211)At]astatobenzoate conjugates for labeling anti-CD45 antibodies with [(211)At]astatine.
    19731929 Bioconjugate chemistry, 2009 Oct 21 : 20(10)1983-91 PMCID:PMC2888658
  • Thakar MS, Zhang XB, Beard BC, Sale GE, Santos EB, Peterson L, Kiem HP, Sandmaier BM
    Transmission and expansion of HOXB4-induced leukemia in two immunosuppressed dogs: implications for a new canine leukemia model.
    19616601 Experimental hematology, 2009 Oct. : 37(10)1157-66 PMCID:PMC2748853
  • Nakamae H, Wilbur DS, Hamlin DK, Thakar MS, Santos EB, Fisher DR, Kenoyer AL, Pagel JM, Press OW, Storb R, Sandmaier BM
    Biodistributions, myelosuppression, and toxicities in mice treated with an anti-CD45 antibody labeled with the alpha-emitting radionuclides bismuth-213 or astatine-211.
    19244101 Cancer research, 2009 Mar 15 : 69(6)2408-15 PMCID:PMC2657815
  • Thakar MS, Forman SJ
    ASH evidence-based guidelines: is there a role for second allogeneic transplant after relapse?
    20008227 Hematology. American Society of Hematology. Education Program, 2009 : 414-8
  • Fox CW, Martin JD, Thakar MS, Mousseau TA
    Clutch size manipulations in two seed beetles: consequences for progeny fitness.
    28307738 Oecologia, 1996 Oct. : 108(1)88-94